Trolley for electrical railways



(N0 Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. D. A. AINSLIE.

TROLLBY FOR ELECTRICAL RAILWAYS.

No. 404,149. PatentedMay 28. 1889.

ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT Gnrrcn.

DAVID ALLEN AINSLIE, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

TROLLEY FOR ELECTRICAL RAI LWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 404,149, dated May 28, 1889.

Application filed January 19, 1889. $erial No. 296,824. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID ALLEN AINSLIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Heni-ico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolleys for Electrical Railways, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a contact device for use on cars equipped with an electric motor, and is designed to make connection with the elevated Wire on which the electric current is conducted. The device is termed a trolley.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

Figure 1 is aside view of the device and its support as it appears on the roof of the motor-car. Fig. 1 shows a detail of the armconpling. Fig. 2 is a side view as seen in a transverse direction from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 3 3, and shows the gimbal-joint. Fig. 4 is a side view of part of the gimbal-j oint. Fig. 5 shows a modification in which the two supportingarms are sustained on pivots, but without a gimbal-joint. Figs. 6 and 7 show side views of the contact device and improved support, being a modification of that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in that the trolley or contact wheel of the latter figures takes under the overhead conducting-wire,while in these two figures it takes above'the conducting-wire. Figs. 8 and 9 show, on a larger scale, two views of the frame used in the modification in which the contact-wheel is mounted. Fig. 10 shows that two contact-wheels may be mounted on the same parallel-arm support. Figs. 11 and 12 show a modification in the manner of mounting the contact-wheel on the improved parallel-arm support.

The trolley-wheel or cylinder A may be of any desired form, and, as shown, may be used to take below the condueting-wi re Z) or above it. The improved trolley-support consists of two parallel arms, 0, both pivoted at two points, d e, which allows them to swing laterally to a limited extent and carry the trolley-wheel. I11 whatever direction they may be moved the said two supporting-arms will remain parallel with each other. The two parallel supporting-arms 0 must be pivoted, as at (Z, to some suitable stand or staff, and their upper ends must sustain the contact-wheel or trolleycylinder A. The upper ends of the parallel arms must be pivoted, as at e, and the said two pivots d cof each arm must be an equal distance apart.

lVith the construction and arrangement of parts just described the two arms may move or swing laterally without changing the vertical position of the contact-trolley. This will be readily understood by an inspection of Figs. 2, 5, (3, 9, and 10.

Two plans for the lower or sustaining pivots, d, of the parallel arms are shown in the drawings. One is to pivot them in a gimbaljoint, so as to move in any direction, and the other is a simple pivot, as in Fig. 5, which permits them to move laterally in one plane.

The stand F (shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 7) carries a gimbal-frame, G, which has trunnions h, and the two parallel arms 0 are pivoted at d in said gimbal-frame. This construction affords to the arms a lateral movement in any direction.

The shaft 1:, on which the contacttrolley A turns, may be fixed in any suitable manner at the upper ends of the parallel supportingarms. For this purpose several constructions are shown. In Figs. 1 and 2 a holder, J, carries the shaft 1 and the upper ends of the arms have plates 7a, which are pivoted at c to the said holder. This form adapts the contact-trolley to take under the conductingwire I).

In Figs. 5, 11, and 12 the trolley-shaftz' turns in bearings Z, which are secured directly to the parallel arms C. This form also adapts the trolley to take below the conductingwire I).

In Figs. (5, 7, S, and 9 the trolley-shaft e is mounted in a hanger or frame, N, which is pivoted at its upper part to a suitable holder, J, made of steel having a lateral arm, m. The plates is of the two parallel arms 0 are attached to the holder J by the pivots c. It will be seen the hanging or pendent frame N, carrying the trolley-wheel, may swing from its pivot, and this form of contact-trolley is adapted to take above or on the upper side of the comlucting-wire b. The pivoted framearms each have two shoulders, 0, on the side of the pivot eye 1), and a stop-pin, q, inserted in the lateral arm m of the holder J, has position between the two shoulders and serves to limit the swinging movement of the pendent frame N. WVhen this frame swings one way to its full extent or limit, the shoulder at one side will come in contact with the stop-pin q, and thereby the contact-wheel will be in position to take upon the conductingwire 1). frame N and wheel A may swing to the opposite side to its full extent or limit, being onehalf of a circle, as indicated by the half-circular broken line. This swinging movement of the frame N adapts the trolley-wheel A to take 011 the wire whether the parallel arms O are inclined to the right, as in Fig. 7, or to the left. If desired, the lateral arm on may support two frames, N, and two contactwheels, as shown in Fig. '10.

The contact-trolley holder J shown in Figs. 1 and 2 has a shape somewhat resembling a horseshoe or approximating the letter U. The shaft '0', on which the wheel A turns, has its bearings in the two arms of the holder, and the wheel occupies and turns in the space between the said two holder-arms. The pivots e, which attach the parallel arms 0, or, rather, as here shown, the parallel arm-plate 7c, are on the lower rounded part of the holder.

The holder J is to be made of steel, and the parallel arms 0 maybe made of wood or may be made of metal tubes, as shown in Fig. 1. A wire, 7", leads from the holder to the motor on the car.

Then the parallel arms 0 are made of tubes, the plates 70, which are pivoted at e to the wheel-holder, are riveted to a wood coupling, n, which serves to insulate the said plates 7c from the tubular arms C. The wood coupling has a round plug-shaped lower end, 1), which is fitted tight into the tube C. In this case the insulated wire 0, which carries the electric current from the contact-wheel A to the motor, passes into one of the tubes G below the wood coupling, and extends down the tube as far as may be needed to a point above the lower pivot, (I, where it comes out of the tube and connects with the motor. The advantage of this construction is that in case the contact-wheel A or any part of the trolley should get fast on the overhead wire I) while the car is in motion the plug end '0 of the wood couplings would pull loose or separate from the tubes instead of causing any part to break, and thereby the wire 0" would simply pull out and the parts could easily be readjusted. Another advantage is that perfeet insulation is insured.

WVhere the contact-wheel A takes under the conducting-wire b, the lower ends of the parallel arms O, at a point below their pivots cl, are provided with counterpoise-weights s, and also a spiral spring, 25, which keep the contact wheel elevated.

(See Fig. 7.) From this position the Either weights or springs, or both, may be used for this purpose in this construction.

Where the contact-Wheel A takes over the conducting-wire, weights or springs need not necessarily be employed. Of course means to raise and lower the supporting-arms O and contact-wheel may be employed; but these means constitute no part of my present invention.

It is proper to add that my invention is not limited to two parallel supporting-arms, O, pivoted as described, because the same result would obviously be obtained if three parallel arms were used.

It is immaterial to my present invention what shape of contact wheel or cylinder may be used. Any preferred form of wheel or cylinder may be employed. The words contact -wheel, cylinder, and trolley are here used synonomously.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. The combination of a supporting-stand, a trolley-wheel ,hanger, parallel arms 0, pivoted at the stand and at their upper ends to the said hanger, and a contact-wheel.

2. The combination of a supporting-stand, a trolley-shaft, 'L', having bearings, parallel arms 0, pivoted below at the stand and above at the shaft-bearings and the pivots of both arms an equal distance apart, and a contactwheel mounted on said shaft.

3. The combination of the parallel arms 0, each pivoted at two points which are an equal distance apart, an approximately U- shaped or horseshoe-shaped holder, to the lower rounded part of which the upper pair of said arm-pivots c are attached, a shaft, 11, having hearings on the two arms of said holder, a contact-wheel occupying the space between the said two holder-arms, and a supporting-stand at which the parallel arms are pivoted.

4:. The combination of a gimbal-frame, a trolley-wheel holder, two arms, 0, each pivoted in the gimbal-frame and also pivoted to the said holder, the two pivots of one arm. being the same distance apart as the pivots of the other, and a contact-wheel.

5. The combination of a gimbal-frame, a holder for a contact device, and two arms, 0, each-pivoted in the gimbal-frame and also pivoted to the said holder, the two pivots of one arm being the same distance apart as the pivots of the other.

6. The combination of a gimbal-frame, a holder for a contact device, two arms, 0, each pivoted in the gimbal-frame and also pivoted to the said holder, the two pivots of one arm being the same distance apart as the pivots of the other, and counterpoise weights or springs attached to the lower ends of said parallel arms below the gimbal-pivots.

'7. The combination of the contact-wheel, its holder, a plate, 70, pivoted to the holder and attached to a coupling-plug of insulating In testimony whereof I affix my signature in is the presence of two witnesses.

DAVID ALLEN AINSLIE.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES A. ROSE, LoUIs RAWLINGS. 

